透明
tòumíng · HSK 4
transparent
🪟 透 = penetrate + 明 = bright; light passes through
透 means to penetrate or pass through, and 明 means bright or light. Together they describe something light passes cleanly through — transparent, see-through. Think of a clean window: brightness penetrates it.
透 — walk radical 辶 + 秀 (xiù, elegant/phonetic)
透 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The walk radical 辶 suggests movement or passing through, while 秀 supplies the sound. The original sense was 'to pass through' or 'penetrate,' which extended to meanings like 'thoroughly,' 'transparent,' and 'leak through.'